Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tennessee TEA Party Wants "Education Reform"
Posted by Bruce VanWyngarden on Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 2:20 PM
The Tennessee TEA Party has proposed a few changes in the way American history is taught in the state. The TP-ers say we have for far too long been overlooking the immortal greatness of our Founding Fathers in favor of emphasizing unpleasant and minor aspects of our history, like the contributions of minorities and that whole darn slavery business.
It's true. Their quotes sound like a parody written by The Onion. You can read a summary here at Think Progress, but allow me to give you a couple highlights, with my own helpful translations:
TP: “No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.”
Translation: Our "leaders" were perfect. Don't let our children think they had flaws. That minority experience might have "actually occurred," but so what?
TP: There is “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders intruding on the Indians or having slaves or being hypocrites in one way or another."
Translation: Indians and slaves were troublemakers. They got what they deserved.
Huh, rewriting history to make our glorious leaders sound perfect. Stalin would have loved these people!
It goes without saying, of course, that all the Founding Fathers were white, as were all the protesters in Nashville. But there's nothing racial about this, folks. There are several black Tea Partiers — somewhere. (You'll read that in the comments that will immediately follow this blog post.) They'll tell you there's nothing to see here, folks. It's all just a coincidence.
Of course, the real scary part of this is that the newly Republicanized Tennessee legislature is quite likely to take these people seriously.
Comments (36)
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I understand that Africans actually volunteered in droves to escape their homes and travel in coach class accomodations to apprentice (for ensuing multiple generations) to kindly paternal Christian slavemasters in America THE GREATEST AND MOST PERFECT COUNTRY GOD EVER PLACED ON THIS EARTH(tm). They did this knowing it was a way to take advantage of 19th century white men's benevolence and wisdom and better their great-great-great-great-great-great great grandchildren.
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There is “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders . . . having slaves."
the decendents of Sally Hemings were unavailable for comment.
Thanks for reporting this attempt to whitewash history. The next time I run into one of these American Patriots, I will certainly confront them on this insanity.
Although I am a proud, card-carrying member of the Republican Party, I am also a junior history buff. One of the reasons why I believe we are the greatest country on the face of the earth is because our "Perfecting Fathers and Mothers" fought and died to overcome the national disgraces of chattel slavery, Indian removal, Jim Crow segregation and second class citizenship for women.
The people whom we should honor even more than the founders are Americans like the slave Gabriel, Denmark Vessey, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, A. Phillip Randolph, MLK, Fannie Lou Hammer, and Medgar Evers, to name just a few. These individuals fought and died to make this nation live its creed.
ok cool, just so as long as we make sure to point out that Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and a whole host of other Founder heavyweights did not subscribe to Christ's divinity, or that the words "Jesus" or "God" or "Christianity" do not appear anywhere in the Constitution.
Here's a hearty second to honoring Fannie Lou Hamer, bakeman. One of my personal heroes. She displayed as much courage and guts as any American in history and more moral courage than anyone I can think of.
I think about now is the time at which CHG should make an appearance with some "relevant" comment on the protestant pioneers.......
Bakeman: You're free to belong to whatever political party you like, and you certainly don't owe me any explanation, but I have to tell you, I don't understand how an intelligent black person, especially one who claims to be a student of history, can be a Republican, much less a proud one. Are you proud of the way Republicans have treated black people, including our sitting president? Have you not figured out why there are so few black, Republican elected officials in this country? You know what they say about those who don't learn the lessons of history.
While the attacks on President Obama from some idiots in the Republican Party have clearly been racially motivated, I can almost guarantee that some racist, ignorant pols in the Democratic Party would have spewed similar hate-speech if Mr. Obama was a Republican. It probably would have been more akin to the paternalistic, white superiority garbage that I read on the Flyer and the CA's comment sections.
If extreme poverty, a horrible family life, and violent racial aggression were used as excuses for not trying to overcome during the 100 year period after the Civil War, our country would be in a world of hurt. Yet, some of the descendants of individuals who persevered through this difficult period have the audacity to make excuses in 2011...that is beyond ridiculous!
And, for the record, the party I identify with and want to help recapture is the party that was known as "Black Republicans" in the 1850s because of their willingness to fight to free the bondman. Courageous statesman like Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner and Benjamin Wade were radical enough to fight a sitting POTUS to do what was right for our nation.
Luckily I was at the after rally party in my super secret white man costume and this is some of what I heard.
"I don't want Billy thinking those guys were bad for keeping (slaves)"
"I've been to Sarah's house and you really can see Russia"
"Say what you will about Hitler, that's one helluva of an interstate"
"Do you think Khloe sleeps with Lamar?"
"We've got to stop the damn immigrants. Maria, grab me another bud light poor favor"
Then there was something about drawing keys out of a basket and I had to excuse myself.
I subscribe to Oscar Wilde's aphorism: "Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."
Ken, you need a real journalist instead of this Bruce fuck. I suggest you fire his old decrepit ass and hire someone with a higher IQ and a better education.
Bruce,
Can you tell me which writers of our American history are correct and unbiased? Since the North won the War Between the States, they dictated the material in most history texts with the unconstitutional Dept. of Education.
CHG, actually in the war of words, the SOUTH won the Civil War with its propaganda machine up until relatively recent times, when people began to question the myths and lies our pioneer forefathers fed us. Witness, the popularity of Birth of a Nation, which colored (no pun intended) attitudes towards the "Lost Cause" and the nobility of the Southern side. The South lost the last battles of the Civil War around 1965 or so. You're welcome for the history lesson.
The Constitution is a procedureal manual and protocol, not an ideological book. There is the mention of 'The Year of our Lord' many times therein. There is also a recognition of the Christian Sabbath when numbering days of meetings. Let's not forget the Ten Commandments in government buildings and distinctly Christian prayers opening official government meetings; i.e. the National Day of Prayer. What do we make of the first prayer in Congress in 1774 offered by Jacob Duché and its specifically Christian reference? It begins with these words: “Lord our Heavenly Father, High and Mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords.” It ends with these words: “all this we ask In the Name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.” On March 16, 1776, Congress called for a “day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer” throughout the colonies.
The Founders As Christians(Note: this is a representative list only, there are many other quotes that could be listed)
Samuel Adams
Father of the American Revolution, Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.
Will of Samuel Adams
Charles Carroll
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.
From an autographed letter in our possession written by Charles Carroll to Charles W. Wharton, Esq., on September 27, 1825, from Doughoragen, Maryland.
William Cushing
First Associate Justice Appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court
Sensible of my mortality, but being of sound mind, after recommending my soul to Almighty God through the merits of my Redeemer and my body to the earth . . .
Will of William Cushing
John Dickinson
Signer of the Constitution
Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.
Will of John Dickinson
John Hancock
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I John Hancock, . . . being advanced in years and being of perfect mind and memory-thanks be given to God-therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make and ordain this my last will and testament…Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it: and my body I recommend to the earth . . . nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mercy and power of God. . .
Will of John Hancock
Patrick Henry
Governor of Virginia, Patriot
This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.
Will of Patrick Henry
John Jay
First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful. Blessed be His holy name!
Will of John Jay
Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer
Signer of the Constitution
In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer . . . of dispossing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer. . .
Will of Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer
Henry Knox
Revolutionary War General, Secretary of War
First, I think it proper to express my unshaken opinion of the immortality of my soul or mind; and to dedicate and devote the same to the supreme head of the Universe – to that great and tremendous Jehovah, – Who created the universal frame of nature, worlds, and systems in number infinite . . . To this awfully sublime Being do I resign my spirit with unlimited confidence of His mercy and protection . . .
Will of Henry Knox
John Langdon
Signer of the Constitution
In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life . . .
Will of John Langdon
John Morton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
With an awful reverence to the great Almighty God, Creator of all mankind, I, John Morton . . . being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory-thanks be given to Almighty God for the same, for all His mercies and favors-and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the times thereof, do, for the settling of such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life . . .
Will of John Morton
Robert Treat Paine
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.
Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.
[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .
Will of Robert Treat Paine
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Signer of the Constitution
To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!. . .
Will of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Rufus Putnam
Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States
[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; 'for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.' [I Corinthians 15:53]
Will of Rufus Putnam
Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!
Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.
Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signer of the Constitution
I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.
Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.
Richard Stockton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue.
Will of Richard Stockton
Jonathan Trumbull Sr.
Governor of Connecticut, Patriot
Principally and first of all, I bequeath my soul to God the Creator and Giver thereof, and body to the Earth . . . nothing doubting but that I shall receive the same again at the General Resurrection thro the power of Almighty God; believing and hoping for eternal life thro the merits of my dear, exalted Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Will of Jonathan Trumbull
John Witherspoon
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. . . . [I]f you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.
John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. V, pp. 276, 278, The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ, January 2, 1758.
Pack, in the spirit of your first comment, there was a bunch of riffing on Twitter last night under the #TeaPartyHistory category. Some were pretty good:
Hawaii has yet to show a Certificate of Statehood.
John Adams and Millard Fillmore both got perfect SAT scores.
Our Founding Fathers hated healthcare, preferring instead to die young, naturally.
The frontiersmen did not kill Native Americans. They merely brought them democracy.
Patriot and foreign policy expert Sarah Palin was the tragic victim of blood libel
.
Teddy Roosevelt said "Walk softly and carry an AK-47 without a permit."
The original American flag was white. Red and blue were added by liberals later on.
You get the idea. Funny stuff.
The best part is, most of the people wanting this kind of reform homeschool their children.
Bruce, I like the Democratic Gaffes from the likes of Biden, Reid, et al. Did you not have access to those? Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had described Barack Obama as “light skinned” and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” It’s strange how the left side of the political aisle constantly makes the racial faux pas, yet they like to play the race card against the right. If it’s not Harry Reid, it’s: Senator Joe Biden saying, “You cannot go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian Accent.” Senator Joe Biden describing then Senator Obama as: “…the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
Senator Hillary Clinton saying Mahatma Gandhi “ran a gas station down in Saint Louis.”
California State Senator Diane Watson (D) commenting on Ward Connerly’s interracial marriage: “He’s married to a white woman. He wants to be white. He wants a colorless society. He has no ethnic pride. He doesn’t want to be black.”
One can find many other examples (including ex-Klansman Democrat Robert Byrd), but we must ignore the mountain of evidence and keep to the script - Democrats are the ‘caring’ and ‘compassionate’ ones. Obama quickly accepted Reid’s apology, saying, “As far as I am concerned, the book is closed.” But would be wide open had it been said by someone other than a liberal.
Jeff, It is common knowledge that home-schoolers at large score higher on ACT/SAT and other achievement tests than most state-humanistic-naturalism- school slaves do.
CHG, Jeff's point is that, since you're apparently too dense to get it, why do a bunch of people who home-school and therefore can teach their kids whatever baloney they want about US history so adamant about making the rest of us (like myself who has 3 kids in SCS) adhere to their hagiographical hero-worship? Theirs (and yours apparently) is an immature reading of history, one-sided and purposely leaves out anything but that which glorifies those people and events they admire. The study of history should be much more than that simplistic bombast. If you want to talk about "slaves" let's talk about you and your ilk and these tea party revisionists. You and they are slaves to hoary tradition, destined to never change your ideas no matter how much contrary evidence is provided.
"loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." Mark Twain
Charles, I'd check those numbers again in about 10 years. Once upon a time, homeschooling parents were limited to those with the dedication and drive and intelligence and monetary means to stay home and not work and turn out brilliant students. These days I'm seeing more and more homeschooling because parents have no other choice (kids failing or expelled), and parents who still work 8-5 and do their homeschooling at night.
Not to mention all the homeschooling being done these days by ignorant fcks who barely (or didn't) graduate high school but hear people like yourself paint homeschooling as some kind of magic solution. They just let Jesus take the wheel. Meanwhile the school bus is going over the rail.
@CHG - I mean, if we're just going to point to random instances statesmen who lived during the Revolution and the drafting of the Constitution invoking God, I promise you I can find just as many questioning, or outright criticizing religion and/or Christ's divinity.
Simple question: how many times does the word "Jesus" appear in the Constitution? How about "Christianity"?
Indeed Jeff, if homeschooling were to expand to large proportions of the population, logic and statistics dictate that the average test scores of home-schooled kids would come down. And CHG, my public school kids score very well on standardized tests; your assertions about home-schooled kids apply to ANY kids of dedicated, education-focused parents of above average means.
The myth that homeschool families are rich.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6…
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